Vacancy-type defects induced by grinding of Si wafers studied by monoenergetic positron beams

Vacancy-type defects introduced by the grinding of Czochralski-grown Si wafers were studied using monoenergetic positron beams. Measurements of Doppler broadening spectra of the annihilation radiation and the lifetime spectra of positrons showed that vacancy-type defects were introduced in the surface region (<98 nm), and the major defect species were identified as (i) relatively small vacancies incorporated in dislocations and (ii) large vacancy clusters. Annealing experiments showed that the defect concentration decreased with increasing annealing temperature in the range between 100 and 500 °C. After 600–700 °C annealing, the defect-rich region expanded up to about 170 nm, which was attributed to rearrangements of dislocation networks, and a resultant emission of point defects toward the inside of the sample. Above 800 °C, the stability limit of those vacancies was reached and they started to disappear. After the vacancies were annealed out (900 °C), oxygen-related defects were the major point defects and they were located at <25 nm.